Monday 22 November 2010 14.28 EST
First published on Monday 22 November 2010 14.28 EST

Harry Potter has once again weaved his spell over cinemagoers, with the latest film breaking UK box office records in its first weekend on release.

Figures published today confirmed Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1, the penultimate film in the franchise, made £18.3m between Friday and Sunday. In the US the film made $125m in its opening weekend and globally takings have been $330m – a remarkable feat for a series now in its seventh episode.

It had the biggest-ever weekend total in the UK and the biggest single day in ticket sales (£6.6m on Saturday).

The most recent James Bond film, Quantum of Solace, previously held the record for the biggest three-day opening, taking £15.3m, while another Harry Potter film, 2005's Goblet of Fire, had the best Saturday and Sunday totals before being overtaken by the latest film.

The result is particularly impressive because it cannot be ascribed to inflated ticket prices for 3D screenings. In a U-turn this summer, Warner Bros decided to release the film in 2D, although it has not ruled out re-releasing it in 3D before the final episode, out next July.

However, in the US, a high proportion of Imax screenings has been partly credited with takings 23% better than the previous highest-grossing film in the series. Deathly Hallows outstripped Goblet of Fire by $23m. About $12.4m of that is thought to be thanks to the Imax boost.

Worldwide, the film has already aired on more than 23,000 screens. The Harry Potter author, JK Rowling, said that David Yates's film – widely held to be the darkest instalment yet – was her favourite so far.

Josh Berger, the president and managing director of Warner Bros Entertainment UK, called the figures "a testament to the talents of the film-makers, cast and to the vision of JK Rowling".

In the UK, the latest Harry Potter also broke records for the highest take on a Friday, a Saturday or a Sunday.